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A little bit of insight to share

Here are some bullet points that came across my desk today.  I hope they help make some senses out of the passage of the recent Acts.

Highlights of the SECURE Act include:

Age restrictions on contributions to a Traditional IRA have been eliminated

  • For clients born on or after July 1, 1949, the age for starting required minimum distributions
  • (RMDs) has been increased to 72
  • Beneficiary distribution choices for deaths that occur starting in 2020 have been changed/updated
  • Distributions for qualified birth or adoption expenses are penalty-free up to $5,000

Highlights of the CARES Act include:

  • RMDs, including those from Beneficiary IRAs, have been waived for 2020
  • Coronavirus-related distributions (CRDs) are penalty-free up to $100,000 through December 30,
  • 2020
  • CRDs can be repaid over three years, or taxes can be spread over three years
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The SECURE Act will affect all of our retirement plans.

New Spending Package Includes Sweeping Retirement Plan Changes 

The $1.4 trillion spending package enacted on December 20, 2019, included the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act, which had overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives in the spring of 2019, but then subsequently stalled in the Senate. The SECURE Act represents the most sweeping set of changes to retirement legislation in more than a decade. Continue reading “The SECURE Act will affect all of our retirement plans.”

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Choosing a Beneficiary for your IRA or 401(k)

Selecting beneficiaries for retirement benefits is different from choosing beneficiaries for other assets such as life insurance. With retirement benefits, you need to know the impact of income tax and estate tax laws in order to select the right beneficiaries.  Although taxes shouldn’t be the sole determining factor in naming your beneficiaries, ignoring the impact of taxes could lead you to make an incorrect choice.

In addition, if you’re married, beneficiary designations may affect the size of minimum required distributions to you from your IRAs and retirement plans while you’re alive. Continue reading “Choosing a Beneficiary for your IRA or 401(k)”